2016

I’ve been working at Ministry of Craft today. I love my job teaching classes, even if I do go home with aching feet like I have today. Ministry of Craft operates mainly out of the basement at Fred Aldous, right in the heart of Manchester’s lively Northern Quarter, offering classes in almost every craft you can imagine; embroidery, knitting, screen printing, paper cutting……it’s a very long list! I teach most of the advanced beginner classes, focusing mainly on pattern cutting and fitting. Today was an Introduction to Bodice Fitting. A class I always enjoy, it’s intense and the students always work so hard…there is a lot to fit in to five hours, but we always manage. ...

So, I had a birthday, I’m now the grand old age of 47, and feel every second of it recently! Angus often jokes with me that I have outlived my biological usefulness now that I am no longer having babies or feeding them, lately I have felt, all too keenly the truth in that joke! India turned 20 on Saturday, and spent her first birthday away from home. I can’t quite believe I am the mother of a 20 year old! She has grown into a lovely young woman, but she will always be my first baby. ...

I’m still working on perfecting the fit of my new bodice block. I’ve been working on this dress on and off for a few weeks now, finally finishing it last week only to put it on and realise despite all my tinkering it still doesn’t quite fit right! I re drafted the front into a princess seam, which I think works well on a larger bust, but kept the back bodice darted, which hasn’t worked well at all! My upper back is rounded and wider than might be expected, while my rib cage is actually very narrow, so fitting my back is often more of a challenge than fitting my bust….the problem with learning about fit is the more you know, the more you find there is to learn….actually that’s how it is with sewing anyway, and why I love it so much! ...

One day last week while feeling rather sorry for myself I nipped in to the local furnishing fabric shop. They have a room full of remnants that I like to browse just in case they have anything interesting. Before I even made it to the remnants however, I noticed the shop was now stocking some rather lovely printed canvas fabrics, including this Paris scene with little black cats. I couldn’t resist and buying just 3 metres cheered me up no end. ...

I’ve had my dress form for several years now, she was rather broken, picked up from Freecycle. Back then I taped her back together and replaced her stand with that of an old standard lamp, also picked up on Freecycle. My first attempt at making her my size was moderately successful, but after a while I pulled her back to her naked self, covered her with a tube of cream ribbing and just used her as a stand. Like so many of us, I’ve seen various ways to DIY dress forms, on Pinterest and other blogs. I had been planning to make a calico toile and stuffing her, but yesterday after being up half the night thinking up various designs I’d like to try draping, I thought I’d give the Duck Tape version a try! ...

I don’t always blog everything I make, but I do usually share most things on Instagram With February almost here…how did that happen? I thought I’d just do a quick and dirty blog post of my January makes, the good, the bad and the downright disastrous! Firstly the Doris Sweater above. I love this version so much. The fabric is a super soft loosley woven wool blend, and it is so cosy. I feel the cold even in this mild winter we are having, so any excuse to cosy up is most welcome. It’s been a bit of a Doris’y month actually because I also ran up this quick Doris Dress from some vintage fabric I found in a charity shop while visiting my Mum who lives in Somerset. ...

The children all went back to school and college today, India is still home from University, but she was out today and I made the very most of the peace, and most importantly lack of demands to be fed, (children do need feeding so often! ) and spent a very happy morning in my shed running up this Weekend Doris Dress with a twist…or two! It is a basic Weekend Doris, made with a retro style wool blend. (I sized up to accomodate the woven fabric.) I added in seam pockets*, a wider neck band to form a 60’s style “cowl” neck, and hem band. The dress and sleeves are lined. I’m really quite pleased with it, the lining has made it a substantial winter dress, so I’m ready for the coldest most miserable winter months of January and February, even if it is so mild at the moment that the daffodils are popping up at the park! ...

I love modern technology, browsing other blogs, joining in sewing forums, watching videos on line, but nothing quite beats curling up on the sofa with a cuppa and a magazine. I’m really thrilled to now this month have my work in two great sewing magazines! Firstly Love Sewing Magazine has a free supplement this month called Learn To Love Sewing, especially designed for beginners. There are fab tutorials in there, many by my fellow tutors at Ministry of Craft, and including my lovely Flossie’s Pinafore. I’m so happy with the photos and design of the pages, the pinafore looks lovely. ...

Happy New Year! I only got one little piece of stitching done between Christmas and the New Year, and that was this grey Nora Dress for Eden. I’d cut it out back in September, she’d been waiting so long for it, she had forgotten all about it! I’ve another cut out at the same time for India that she can’t remember either! I’m not one for making resolutions really, but maybe I should at least make one about making things up as soon as I cut them out…anyone else have a pile of garments cut out, but not yet sewn? ...